As Telangana continues to reel under a heatwave with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing a red alert, the capital city Hyderabad recorded its highest temperature of the season on Thursday. Many parts of the city crossed the 43 degrees Celsius mark for the first time this summer, reports The Times of India.
The IMD has forecast that heatwave conditions are likely to persist over the next few days in districts including Kumuram Bheem Asifabad, Mancherial, Karimnagar, Peddapalli, Jayashankar Bhupalpally, Mulugu, Khammam and Nalgonda. The department has advised people to avoid prolonged exposure to the sun, stay hydrated and take necessary precautions, especially during afternoon hours.
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Heatwave conditions continued to intensify across Telangana, with 20 districts placed under red alert as temperatures stayed well above normal levels. According to the weather department, heatwave conditions were reported at 244 locations across the state, with several districts recording temperatures above 46 degrees Celsius.
Peddapalli and Suryapet emerged as the hottest districts, both registering 46.5 degrees Celsius. Districts such as Bhadradri Kothagudem, Hanumakonda, Jagtial, Jayashankar Bhupalpally, Karimnagar, Khammam, Kumuram Bheem Asifabad, Mancherial, Mulugu, Nalgonda, and Rajanna-Sircilla recorded 46.4 degrees Celsius.
Mahabubabad, Nirmal, Nizamabad, and Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri logged 46.3 degrees Celsius, while Adilabad and Warangal touched 46.2 degrees Celsius. Siddipet recorded 46.1 degrees Celsius, whereas Kamareddy and Jangaon registered 45.9 degrees Celsius and 45.5 degrees Celsius, respectively.
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Andhra Pradesh heatwave
The heatwave sweeping across Andhra Pradesh is expected to intensify further over the next four days, according to Visakhapatnam Meteorological Department officer Jagannath Kumar. He urged people to remain cautious and avoid unnecessary travel between 11 am and 4 pm, when temperatures are expected to remain at their peak.
Kumar said temperatures above 43 degrees Celsius were recorded in 204 mandals spread across 18 districts of the state on Thursday. Palnadu reported the highest number of severely affected mandals at 23, followed by Krishna with 21, Prakasam and Eluru with 20 each, Bapatla with 17, Nellore with 16, and both NTR and Guntur districts with 15 each. Markapuram district recorded 12 such mandals.
For Friday, May 22, the weather department has warned that temperatures between 45 and 47 degrees Celsius are likely in parts of Konaseema, East Godavari, West Godavari, Eluru, Krishna, NTR, Guntur, Bapatla, Palnadu, Markapuram, Prakasam, and Nellore districts.
Several other districts, including Kakinada, Nandyal, and YSR Kadapa, are expected to record temperatures between 44 and 45 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, temperatures ranging from 40 to 43 degrees Celsius are likely in parts of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, Parvathipuram, Manyam, Alluri Seetharama Raju, Anakapalle, Kurnool, Anantapur, Sri Sathya Sai, Annamayya, Chittoor, and Tirupati districts.
